Health goth is here to stay: clothing brands and apps to get you started

Health goth is here to stay. Are you one? Could it be the ideal thing for you? Find out with the health goth checklist…

1. Health goth clothing brands rock. Hard.

Gothic clothing is about form as well as function. Health goth style has its own aesthetic, which is body-aware trad goth with lots of clean lines and cyberpunk aesthetics. However, there’s no law saying you have to wear a mesh unitard. The leggings and a tee in your wardrobe work just as well. For high-impact sports like running then it’s important to take care of yourself with appropriate equipment (trainers, not New Rocks). For cardio work, you may want to explore modern materials that wick away sweat and allow the skin to breathe. Health goth does tend to veer towards high-performance, high-tech sportswear if possible, but it’s your decision.

Health goth brands and clothing

Wear what you feel good in. Sportswear – health goth included – requires wearing comfortable clothes, and layering is your eternal companion. Source brands and clothes that make you feel like you’re doing an excellent job of being yourself. Explore black and mesh, black and silver, black and a colour you really like to wear… and black. See gothic sportswear examples below.

A health goth’s best friend is their cat.

You always know what’s what with a cat by your side. If you dislike crop tops on their own, you can try it as an outer layer over a vest top or longer tee. Killstar have a good range of t-shirts, but alien cats always win.

Hydrate to get lit, stay lit with health goth water bottles

Some of us just re-use our plastic water bottles a million times and hope they don’t open all over our bag, and that’s fine. If you want to take it further, artists have been unleashing their dark art on Sigg water bottles. They cost twice as much but some of the designs are gorgeous. Then again, Sigg‘s plain version in darkest cadaver grey looks good, too.

Layer up with a Black Craft Cult racer tank top

If you want to feel body-positive and work, train and health at your own pace, clothing that layers up and down should be appropriate to most of your exercise routines. Black Craft Cult do a fantastically witchy and murky range of clothing. Tank tops work well over sports bras or fitted tees and under hoodies.

Black Hope Curse hoodie

This hoodie, modelled by Shopkadabra founder Alice Lockhart, is made by Black Hope Curse – a gothic clothing brand inspired by tattoos and the dark arts. They say that a number of their tattoo artists have a personal interest in the occult as well as horror and occult-based art.

Go speedo goth with an Iron Fist swimsuit

Mister Skull has a loose tooth! Swimming is a low-impact activity that can be kind to your body, and this Iron Fist skull swimsuit adds even more to swimming’s appeal. Also, you can inspire children in the communal pool. Inspire. That is definitely the word we’re looking for.

Work those muscles with workout capri pants from V3 Apparel

Show the world you’ve got muscles! These super-cheap leggings are suitable for a range of sports activity, from running to squats, with elasticated waistband, and sweat-wicking materials to allow your skin to breathe.

Adidas Rita Ora skeleton leggings.

Adidas are doing a disturbingly effective line in sportswear likely to appeal to health goths, with clean functionality (obviously) and a twisted side. We are grudgingly very impressed. These Rita Ora skeleton leggings have a terrible habit of selling out, so you’ll have to be quick.

2. Your running app has a zombie storyline.

You’re likely to revel in the dark side of fitness if your running app is Zombies, Run – or you wish it was.Your mission is to run in one world while you’re a hero in the other.

As you tie your shoelaces, put on your headphones and set off on an adventure, you learn that you’re one of the few survivors of the zombie epidemic. As a Runner, you must reach of humanity’s few surviving outposts where you’ll be needed to gather supplies, rescue survivors and defend the territory. Then the missions get a little more sophisticated…

With over 40 missions and 3 million people playing worldwide, Zombies, Run! is the running app of choice for health goths like fabled pathology maven Carla Valentine. If you’ve ever sought a way to make the concept of running feel something other than horrific, this could be it.

3. There’s a whole health goth community in place.

Whether it’s sharing tips for where to get high-performance sportswear or sharing training tips and recipes, the health goth community is strong. In fact, it could be argued that the movement has been diluted as it’s expanded. The artists’ original intent was to focus on a dystopian, cleanliness-geared aesthetic with a transhumanist element, as they explained to UK Complex.

However, everyone who’s connected to the concept has had their own take on what health goth means to them. As a result, there’ll be purists and people who just want to get a bit more healthy in a way that feels right for them. As the community grows, you’re more likely to find those who ascribe to your point of view and can share information you’ll find useful.

4. You get to build a healthgoth playlist

Building a playlist is one of life’s great pleasure. You can check out Healthgoth.com’s mix below. Youtube and Spotify are full of them. And, of course, you can build your own. Our track of choice? Depeche Mode’s Master and Servant. Contact us to suggest publically-available healthgoth playlists you’d like to share!

First the media got so excited about the health goth trend, then a minute later, they ran around saying it was finished. RIP. Final nail in the coffin. What were they getting so hectic about?

If health goth is over, so what? The beauty of necrotrends is that they can be resurrected at will. And, dear heart, your will is strong.

A health goth outlook provides something of eternal value and deserves to last the distance. Gone are the days when you just put on whatever you had to hand and ran/shuffled/walked around a park, feeling awkward but preferring it to social peer pressure down at the gym.

As the community expands, health goths can just enjoy the living hell out of approaching health and fitness their way.

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The Mookychick website and community was born in 2005 to be an alternative feminist haven of inclusivity and joy. Mookychick is more than the sum of its parts. All our members actively help each other - and you won't find a wittier, thinkier or kinder bunch anywhere.